Kilmarnock

Sandy Armour
Fan writer

I wrote again last week about the need for an experienced centre-half, and the drubbing from Celtic simply highlighted the problem.

It was not all on the players, however, as the manager set us up in a very positive system then failed to change it when it was clearly being ruthlessly exploited by our opponents.

Neil McCann has credit in the bank for his excellent effort last season. But his time at Dundee was blighted by defensive issues and he quickly needs to learn to have a plan B or C.

The fans love seeing an attacking team, but it has to be done in a responsible manner while not cruelly exposing the backline to counter-attacks.

It's still very early days and Friday night offers us a great opportunity to kickstart the season when our trophy-free neighbours come calling.

It will be a cracking atmosphere and a decent win here will bring some positivity for the tougher challenges that lie ahead.

Sandy Armour is editor of The Killie Hippo fanzine

Image source, SNS

Greg Kiltie says Kilmarnock players "would be silly" to write off Neil McCann's style so early in the season.

After progressing to the next round of the League Cup, albeit only scoring two goals in their group stage campaign, Kilmarnock have lost both of their opening Premiership matches.

A 4-3 defeat at St Johnstone in their first game of the season was followed up by Sunday's 5-1 defeat at Rugby Park to champions Celtic.

And with nine goals conceded in two games, midfielder Kiltie insists the side need to shore up at the back.

"Defensively we need to be so much stronger and not give away the goals we are giving away at the moment," he said.

"We pressed them [Celtic] high, but once they got in our area we still needed to defend so much better. Maybe they got chances from us being open, but I don't think the goals necessarily came from that. We need to take it on the chin and do so much better individually and collectively defensively."

McCann took over following the departure of Stuart Kettlewell towards the end of last season as Kilmarnock were struggling at the bottom of the table.

The former Dundee boss managed to keep the Ayrshire club in the Premiership and avoided the relegation play-off, while also playing some decent football.

And Kiltie insists they still believe in the manager's approach.

"He obviously believes in it," the former St Mirren midfielder said.

"He sees how we do it in training. If he believes in it and we believe in it then we're hoping it all comes together. Doing it in training is one thing, doing it in a game is another.

"I do think we need to be so much better than what we've shown. We have given very cheap goals away and that is hard to come back from in games. It kills the momentum for us. We need to keep believing in ourselves.

"It is only the second game of the season and it would be silly to write it off."

Watch the Sportscene panel analyse Kilmarnock's performance in their 5-1 defeat to Celtic and discuss Michael Schjonning-Larsen's goal for the Ayrshire side.

Kilmarnock fans, we asked for your views following Sunday's heavy 5-1 defeat at home to Celtic.

Here's what some of you said:

Iain: As I said last week this was a disaster waiting to happen. Defensively to give away a goal in two minutes, and the same in the second half, shows naivety, a lack of concentration and just plain lack of spirit. People pay to watch this and are let down when players really do not earn their wages. Desperate stuff really.

Adam: Two games and nine goals leaked, sadly this is going to be a long hard season already. Just not good enough. It's not as if the goals were worldies or anything but mostly our own making. We need to strengthen the defence.

Gary: Shambolic. No matter what the set up was the defending was shambolic. Once again it's obvious we need better defenders. Nine goals in two games even this early is relegation form.

Jay: Defence posted missing. The set up was totally wrong to face a team as good as Celtic are. That said, there's no lack of effort from the players. Better not lose on Friday against Ayr or that will turn the support against them. It's a must-win and very convincingly to get our season back on track.

Derek: I think that Neil McCann needs to concentrate more on the football and less on the new pitch because the opposition aren't going to play badly on the new surface.

Alan: Absolutely abysmal, making Celtic look like world beaters which they are far from. The man in charge has had a full pre-season to find a dominant centre-half and until now has failed. A commanding player to lead the defence would make such a difference to that team but as it stands Friday could be another horrendous debacle in a long list of capitulations against Ayr Utd. I so hope I'm wrong.

Kasper Hogh scored his first Celtic goals as his hat-trick steered Celtic to an emphatic victory away to Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership in the absence of Martin O'Neill.

Read the full match report here.

Let us know your thoughts here.

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Kilmarnock manager Neil McCann told BBC Sportsound: "I'll take responsibility for that today.

"I know we made some mistakes on the pitch but I went quite quite aggressive today and quite open. We've made some errors within that and we were punished by a really good Celtic side. When their tails are up you can see how well they move it around.

"I actually thought we responded really well after the first goal and created chances but we were just a wee bit short of quality in terms of the final execution to get us back into the game. The second one was a sore one, followed quickly by the third, and that's when you're looking for a wee bit of character.

"It's easy to shut up shop and lick your wounds to see it out but that's not who I want us to be. We got them in at half-time, had a chat about details and how we were exposed and wanted to press Celtic. Then we adjusted it but conceded a quick goal with another mistake. That seems to have been the way today.

"I take responsibility and we'll work on it this week. We've got a massive game on Friday in the cup against Ayr United and we'll look to put things right.

"As a coach and manager you have full belief in your team and I was confident we would perform today. We've been punished for mistake but after the first goal we really responded.

"It's not a game-changer losing an early goal, losing a man early on would be a game-changer. We showed character and bravery to play, carved out opportunities and I thought we were actually the better team in the early parts of the game.

"But Celtic have the quality that if you do make mistakes they have the ability to punish you, and that's how it turned out."

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Kilmarnock defender Robbie Deas serves the second of a two-match ban after picking up too many yellow cards last season. Tyreece John-Jules is OK after coming off against St Johnstone last week with a facial knock.

Celtic winger Jota returned to training for the first time since April 2025 after recovering from an ACL injury but is weeks away from a comeback. Defender Liam Scales concludes his two-match ban for breaching the yellow cards threshold last term.

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Kilmarnock may be yet to train on their new grass-hybrid pitch, but it's fair to say manager Neil McCann is excited about the "sensational" surface.

"I just feel that Rugby Park was always known as having a brilliant surface," said McCann.

"So, hopefully we get a big crowd coming in on the back of the home form last season. I know they'll be disappointed by the last weekend but we look to try and put that right."

Killie opened their Scottish Premiership season with a 4-3 defeat by St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park and welcome champions Celtic on Sunday.

And McCann says the new pitch will not change their game tactically at all, although he admits his side will have an advantage over the visiting teams as "it allows you to train on it".

"You've got a certain knowledge of maybe the hard surface and how it may bounce," he explained.

"The pitch won't change how we play. Hopefully, that will help us even more because we are a team that wants to play. We take a lot of risk in our play."

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Kilmarnock's Greg Kiltie hopes the club's new pitch will change the narrative over their home form and the theory that their old artificial surface gave them a huge advantage.

The artificial pitch at Rugby Park has been ripped up and replaced with a state of the art grass-hybrid pitch, which gets its first airing this Sunday with the visit of Celtic.

And the 29-year-old is hopeful the Ayrshire club can keep up their strong home record on the new pitch.

"We've had a great home record over the last couple of seasons," he said.

"You don't want to put it down to astroturf, so it would be nice to go out and prove that it was us playing well. It probably does come into play that you want to prove that.

"Everybody's seen it [the pitch] for the first time, but it looks incredible. So, just really looking forward to being out there and hopefully we've got a performance to match how good that looks.

"There's no point in having that out there and going out and being rubbish on it."

Kiltie who's also relishing his role as club captain for the new season, admits they need to "rectify" their poor performance against St Johnstone, when they lost 4-3, as they prepare to host last season's champions.

"Obviously we were disappointed last weekend with the performance," Kiltie added.

"We just lacked a bit of intensity in certain areas. "

"So we look to rectify them this weekend."

"Collectively we thought we all could have done better. So, it's about working together this weekend and as I said, it's just about moving forward and making sure that we play better."

Killie played out two frustrating home games against Celtic last season, with the Glasgow club sealing 90th minute wins on both occasions.

And Kiltie is aware of the threat they'll bring again.

"They're the reigning champions for a reason," he added.

"I think last year, even here, when we went two goals up, they showed their resilience to come back. You just know they're never out of the game."

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Kilmarnock manager Neil McCann says his players have responded well to their opening weekend defeat against St Johnstone.

McCann says it was "pretty clear where they went wrong", and the players themselves were "were angry with themselves, as they let themselves down".

Killie face Scottish Premiership champions Celtic at home this Sunday - a first outing on their new "sensational" grass-hybrid pitch.

McCann says the surface harks back to the Rugby Park he remembers and hopes it will help the team to play how they want to play.

He admits Celtic will be a "tough, tough game" and hopes visiting manager Martin O'Neill will be in away dugout after a spell in hospital this week.

"Everybody at Kilmarnock including myself, wish him all the best in the speed of recovery," McCann said.

"He's a guy that I love spending time with off the pitch and I love going to battle with him, so hopefully he's in the dugout on Sunday.

"I hope it's nice and calm for him. He never seems to get frustrated too often anyway, Martin. That's an old head on you. I'm probably running about like a stolen motor in the other dugout."

Jane Lewis
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Kilmarnock manager Neil McCann has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Scottish Premiership visit of champions Celtic. Here are some of his key points.

• McCann says it was "pretty clear where they went wrong" in last weekend's defeat by St Johnstone and he will "learn an awful lot" from that loss.

• The manager admits there were many aspects of their Perth performance that "wasn't at top level" but he believes his squad "has got a lot to offer".

• Killie players have "without question" responded to the 4-3 defeat, saying "they were angry with themselves, as they let themselves down".

• McCann is looking forward to playing at home and on their new "sensational" grass hybrid pitch. "I just feel that Rugby Park was always known as always having a brilliant surface," he said.

• On his new look squad, the Killie boss says the "unity is fantastic" and has "happened quite quickly" but will take "bit of time to properly implement everything and get a full understanding".

• McCann would of course like to bring in more players but believes he's recruited players who can be flexible in several positions. Meanwhile, he has not heard anything about George Stanger leaving amid reports linking him with a move away.

• On Celtic, the Kilmarnock manager knows it will be "a tough, tough game" as the visitors have added to their squad.

• On Celtic manager Martin O'Neill, who has been in hospital this week, McCann says "everybody at Kilmarnock including myself, wish him all the best in the speed of recovery" and added: "He's a guy that I love spending time with off the pitch and I love going to battle with him, so hopefully he's in the dugout on Sunday."

• Team news: Tyreece John-Jules is OK after his knock last weekend while Robbie Deas is serving the second of his two-match ban.

Image source, SNS

• No player has scored more goals (17) or winning goals (6) than Celtic's Benjamin Nygren in the Scottish Premiership since the beginning of last season.

• Kilmarnock have lost their past eight meetings with Celtic in all competitions, last enduring a longer losing run to the Hoops from April 2003 to April 2007 (16).

• This will be the 250th league meeting between Kilmarnock and Celtic, the eighth side the Parkhead club have faced 250+ times. Celtic won their 250th game against all but one of the previous seven, drawing 1-1 with St Mirren in May 2023.

• Kilmarnock lost their first league game of the season against St Johnstone and if they fail to win this game it'll be the 13th time in their past 16 top-flight seasons they've not won either of their first two matches.

• Celtic have won their past eight Scottish Premiership games since a 2-0 defeat at Dundee United in March - they last endured a longer winning streak in the league between April and October 2024 under Brendan Rodgers (13).

Sandy Armour
Fan writer

Kilmarnock probably created some kind of record in the League Cup group stage by winning it despite scoring only two goals and conceding none.

It would seem strange, therefore, Killie fans were stating the biggest worry was our defence - but the performance at Perth on Sunday showed those concerns were well founded.

I stated in this column back in January, when Neil McCann took over as manager, the main priority was an experienced no-nonsense centre-half. We never addressed the issue and haven't so far this summer.

I hope McCann hasn't got a blind spot when it comes to the heart of our defence.

The goals we lost in Perth were all avoidable and there is a lot of work to be done in training this week. We face Celtic on Sunday and they will pounce on any weakness if we repeat the same basic errors.

I still feel we will have a good season but only if the manager urgently addresses the glaring problems.

Sandy Armour is editor of The Killie Hippo fanzine

Burton Albion are keen on a move for Kilmarnock defender George Stanger, who is in the final year of his contract at Rugby Park. (Daily Record), external

Read the rest of Tuesday's Scottish gossip.

Kilmarnock fans, we asked for your opinions following the 4-3 loss to St Johnstone in the opening weekend. Here's a taste of what you had to say.

Scott: All the pre-season optimism goes up in smoke after such an abject defensive display. Neil McCann will likely decide the diamond formation doesn't work when we get to October and still haven't won. A long, long season ahead.

Eddie: What a mess. Kept giving the ball away, really poor at the back and the players looked really heavy legged. To score three away from home should give have given us something.

Stuart: Appreciate it's early days but it's clear from today, and the end of last year, that we need two experienced centre backs. We look vulnerable and naive at every cross. Score flattered us sadly, petrified about what Celtic will do to that defence.

Jason: I completely under the optimism around the club at the start of this season, after such a good finish to last season. One of our biggest downfalls was our away record which is appalling, so to concede four away from home in our first game is not the best of starts.

There's a lot of talk about top six, but I think we need to focus on not finishing in the bottom three first and take it from there. Focus is needed and I still think we don't have enough in defence to carry us forward.

Iain: That was one of the most inept performances I have witnessed in a long time. This is going to be a very long season if they continue to perform like this and we next face Celtic. It has the hallmark of a disaster movie that you cover your eyes for.

Neil: Utterly deflated after a shocking performance in Perth. Big away support. Hopes high. Then timorous, wasteful, low energy rubbish from the kick-off. We made St Johnstone look like world beaters. A massive kick up the backside is needed. Immediately.

Watch Sportscene highlights from McDiarmid Park as St Johnstone and Kilmarnock play out a seven-goal thriller in the Scottish Premiership.

Available to UK users only.

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Kilmarnock manager Neil McCann: "I didn't find it entertaining whatsoever. We got exactly what we deserved from the game - nothing.

"Can't defend like that, can't play like that and expect to win a game of football. That said, we're 3-2 up.

"The third goal they get... we need to do miles better from the set piece, and we'll look at it, but it's never a free-kick. Jamie Brandon has won the ball quite cleanly and John Beaton [the referee] somehow manages to give a free-kick. I've asked him why, he said he thinks it's a free-kick. I disagree.

"The video evidence shows Jamie does get a touch on the ball and we are severely punished. We have to then do better with the set piece.

"The fourth goal is just ridiculous. We're miles better than what we showed today and it's a stark reality of what the Premiership is like. St Johnstone deserved to win today, simple as that.

"I don't think our performance today merited anything. The Kilmarnock fans deserve much more today. We didn't start the game, and from the off they looked like they wanted to celebrate being back in the Premiership.

"The first time we played, we scored. I tried to adjust a few things at half time, but it's one of those early games in the season when no one is at top gear, but we need to be miles better."