Kilmarnock 'must defend better' despite 'harsh' red - Sportscene analysis
Watch Sportscene pundit Steven Naismith analyse Kilmarnock's red card and their defensive frailties in Saturday's defeat at Motherwell.
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Watch the best of the action from Fir Park as Motherwell continue their superb home form with a 4-0 rout of Kilmarnock. (Available to UK users only)
We asked for your views on Kilmarnock's 4-0 defeat against Motherwell.
Here's what some of you said:
Kenny: It's the same old story. Killie don't have the quality required to compete in the league and, unless drastic measures are taken to improve the squad, the Championship looks inevitable. If the squad doesn't get improved before the end of the transfer window then I think Neil McCann would have better luck playing the boys from the U19s as they know what it takes to win a game.
Iain: Same old, same old. I think the fans are getting tired of hearing about the lack of confidence, poor decisions by the referee, yellow then red cards undeserved, a bit of bad luck, and so the excuses continue. It is about time the players took a long hard look at themselves and not at the excuses.
Jon: You can't help but think that we're doomed. I don't think any manager could turn the results around with this current squad. The most disappointing thing is that there is no passion or fight in the players. They're just lucky that Livingston keep losing as well. Scraping survival via the play-offs is our only hope.
Tom: How much longer before McCann admits that he hasn't got the players in the building to keep us up. A clear-out of the deadwood and better quality in is the only answer or we will go down.
William: Maybe it's worthwhile just letting the season run its whole course - venting our frustrations doesn't seem to have had any effect in the last three months.
Colin: The officials did not cost us that game. McCann is clutching at straws already but the real blame lies with Stuart Kettlewell and his one dimensional squad. He left us in a hole we do not look like getting out of.
Motherwell maintained their superb home record and deepened Kilmarnock's relegation fears as the hosts strolled to a comfortable Scottish Premiership win.
'It's an appalling decision' - McCann
Kilmarnock manager Neil McCann tells BBC Scotland: "I felt we were the better side in the first part of the game.
"The offside goal was not what killed us today, but it's so marginal. It looks like guesswork.
"We've got another still where it looks like [Polworth] is just on with Sparrow's shoulder.
"What has hurt us is the red card. What we have suffered at Livingston in the early part of the game where the Livingston player's not received the red card and then what we've got today.
"I'm told the first one is reckless. I can't see anything reckless whatsoever. It's such a poor decision, because it puts a combative midfielder on a tightrope. I thought the second one was soft as well.
"When we go down to 10 men against a side with their tails up, it's going to be difficult.
"I'm trying to get instructions onto the pitch. The fourth official knows I'm talking to two of my players and he lets them take a quick free-kick.
"I'm a bit disappointed with that. You're just looking for a wee bit of common sense.
"The whole flip of the game comes from a red card decision because before that I thought we were the better team.
"I don't think shoulders went down. They're just a group suffering from a lack of confidence.
"To concede so soon after the red card is a massive blow.
"I feel a wee bit of an injustice with the red card I have to say.
"What I will say is I don't see a dressing room that chucked it today. They fought. I'm sorry to the fans who came here that they saw a team that was so good until the red card succumb to that defeat.
"We're working hard - the recruitment side of the club have been going at it to try to get bodies in to help the dressing room."
Image source, SNSNew Motherwell striker Eythor Bjorgolfsson could feature against Kilmarnock. Sam Nicholson is almost back in full training while Andy Halliday is on his way back from injury. Elliot Watt (hamstring) and Regan Charles-Cook (ankle) remains out with long-term absentees Filip Stuparevic (knee) and Zach Robinson (Achilles).
Greg Kiltie is closing in on a comeback for Kilmarnock, who got relatively positive news on Marley Watkins' injury this week. Long-term absentees Max Stryjek (heart), Kyle Magennis (knee), Jamie Brandon (ankle/groin), Djenairo Daniels (knee) and Matty Kennedy (hip) remain out while James Brown has also been missing with a knock in recent weeks.
Image source, SNSDefender Ethan Schilte-Brown says Neil McCann's "fear factor" can be the key to ending their 16-game run without a victory.
McCann has presided over a Premiership draw with bottom club Livingston and a Scottish Cup defeat by Dundee and is looking to pull off an upset against in-form Motherwell on Saturday.
Canadian Schilte-Brown, who this week extended his Rugby Park contract to summer 2028, said: "I've spent the most part of my career at this club, so it's just a really proud moment for me and my family.
"I'm just always grateful for the the staff giving me the chances to start games.
"Obviously it's a big jump (from the youth team) but I think it's just mentally preparing yourself.
"I went out on a couple of loans to Cumnock, Albion Rovers and Dumbarton. It was a step up each time so those helped and just playing with the different managers there as well.
"Every management team that's come in here has first and foremost treated me well and put their trust in me, so I'm grateful for those managers as well.
"The gaffer who's come in has been great. He's got great ideas and he's a very respectable guy and I think really instils that fear factor sometimes, but I think it's a good thing. I'm just looking forward to learning from him."
Killie are looking for a first win in 17 matches when they take on Motherwell at Fir Park on Saturday.
"Everyone's just as determined as you can be," Schilte-Brown said. "It's never a good feeling going this long without a win.
"The fans have showed just how good they are by continuing to back us every week. We're desperate to get a win so hopefully it comes on Saturday."
Image source, SNSKilmarnock boss Neil McCann will have "done his homework" on Motherwell - but has the long winless run shorn his players of the belief they can win at Fir Park?
Killie sit second bottom of the Premiership, without a win since October, as they travel to face fourth-place Well, who have lost just once in 13 games across all competitions.
However, former Rugby Park youth striker Rory Loy doesn't think a result for McCann's side is out of the question.
"What they're going to have to be is well organised, disciplined and have an understanding of what Motherwell do," Loy told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.
"Neil McCann likes to delve into his tactics, understand the opposition and get his team really clued up.
"There's no doubt the homework will be done, and it'll be done thoroughly, so it's just a case of whether his players are capable on the day of believing they can go out and get something against Motherwell."
Image source, SNSNo Scottish Premiership side has had more direct attacks this season than Motherwell (43, level with Aberdeen), with their three direct attack goals also a joint-high (level with St Mirren).
Kilmarnock have only won two of their past 24 away league games (D7 L15), and none of their latest eight (D3 L5) since beating Dundee United 2-0 in September.
Motherwell have won six of their past seven home league matches (D1), including their latest four in a row; the Steelmen last won five in succession within a single season in March 2019.
Kilmarnock are winless in eight league visits to Motherwell (D4 L4) since a 2-0 victory in December 2020 under Alex Dyer.
Motherwell have won two of their past three league meetings with Kilmarnock (D1), as many as their previous 10 beforehand (W2 D5 L3). The Steelmen could win back-to-back league matches within a single season against Killie for the first time since 2019-20.
Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland
Image source, SNSKilmarnock boss Neil McCann has been speaking to the media as his side prepare for Saturday's Premiership trip to Motherwell.
Here are the main points:
McCann is looking forward to getting back to league business after a "disappointing" cup exit to Dundee, adding: "The league is where it's at right now for me, and it should be for the players."
On the January window - and with Killie reportedly set to add Findlay Curtis, external on loan from Rangers - the Rugby Park boss says "nothing has really changed" in terms of getting players in.
But McCann stresses Killie "can't afford for anybody to leave the building" and is urging his current players to "perform better than what they've shown".
The former Dundee manager says centre-back Ethan Schilte-Brown's new contract until 2028 is "a reward for his hard work" amid "aspirations of getting into the Canada team for the World Cup".
On Motherwell, who are fourth in the table and 23 points above Kilmarnock, McCann is "under no illusions of how difficult this game is going to be".
With the Rugby Park side winless in 16 games, McCann says it's been "too long" since the supporters saw a victory and insists "we're doing everything we can to try and get that win".
Team news: McCann says "one or two players are making real good progress behind the scenes" and he has had "good information coming back from Marley Watkins' scan".
Jamie Brandon is "not too far away" from a return and Greg Kiltie is "closest to getting back into the team".
Image source, SNSKilmarnock defender Ethan Schilte-Brown has extended his contract until the summer of 2028.
The 20-year-old Canadian joined the Ayrshire club's academy in 2023 after coming through the youth system at MLS side Orlando City.
After spells on loan at Cumnock, Albion Rovers and Dumbarton in his first two seasons in Scotland, Schilte-Brown has made 12 appearances for Killie this term, including starting their past five matches.
Image source, SNSKilmarnock are "paying the consequences" for the length of time it took to appoint Stuart Kettlewell's successor as they near a club record winless run.
Neil McCann was named as the new head coach on 6 January, three weeks after Kettlewell was sacked.
Kilmarnock sit second bottom of the Premiership table, three points above Livingston, with just two victories in 22 games this term.
Their last league victory came in October, a 2-0 win over St Mirren, and Saturday's Scottish Cup defeat to Dundee made it 16 games without victory, two of which McCann has presided over.
Should Killie will to win any of their next three league fixtures, they will equal a 45-year milestone.
"We're on a horrendous run," Kilmarnock podcaster Callum Scott told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.
"We're just about to equal our record, I think it's 18 league games without a win, which goes back to 1981. And there's every chance we can break that record, which is something that no club wants to be proud of.
"For me, it's really, really, really tough times being a Kilmarnock fan, but we're still hoping we can get some new recruits in.
"I want to make clear that, at the moment, none of the support put any of that at Neil McCann's door. He's been in here less than two weeks.
"We took far too long to get the appointment done and dusted, particularly with a guy that was out of work as a manager at that moment in time. And we're really paying the consequences for it."
Winger Findlay Curtis, 19, is expected to join Kilmarnock on loan from Rangers. (Herald - subscription required), external
Sandy Armour
Fan writer
I recall we lost a cup tie away at Inverness during the Derek McInnes reign and thinking it was probably our worst performance in 20 years or more.
Our cup exit at home to Dundee last Saturday maybe wasn't quite as awful but it wasn't a million miles away.
Other than an excellent goal from Dom Thompson we created nothing. Credit to Dundee, who should have scored more, but we made them look like prime Brazil.
Our captain Brad Lyons made a comment last week that we needed to improve but the answers were in the building. I'll respectfully disagree - we are in desperate need of leadership, quality, width and pace.
That's a lot to ask for in the January window but the new manager has inherited an unbalanced squad that was poorly assembled by his predecessor.
We travel to Fir Park in hope rather than expectation but maybe we'll get a wee rub of the green and the outlook will appear much brighter.
Hats off to our travelling fans who will once again attend in good numbers even on the back of this horrific run.
Sandy Armour is editor of The Killie Hippo fanzine
We asked for your views on Kilmarnock's 2-1 defeat against Dundee to knock them out of the Scottish Cup.
Here's what some of you said:
Sandy: Well we shot ourselves in the foot. Started well but then things got worse. Second half was really poor and we could have lost by more. Neil McCann and Billy Dodds have a lot of work to do. Defence is poor, strikers misfiring and we need a creative midfielder. It's going to be a long hard season.
Dan: No confidence in the team at all, we've got into that free fall situation where losing is expected! Board need to open the purse and back the new manager. Some players need to be moved on!
Robert: I thought Killie were atrocious. Poor defensively and offered little in attack. Had it not been for the posts, crossbar and one kicked off the line it would have been a heavy defeat. More than three months since they won. That's relegation form.
Gary: Well we could say sack the manager when it's the defence we want to sack. Whoever agreed to sign some of these players should also be sacked. Most will struggle next season in the Championship. Maybe the sooner relegation is confirmed the better.
Stephen: A total disgrace of a performance. The worst display of an already dreadful season. Dundee were streets ahead in every single aspect and totally dominated. McCann implying it was close and that going down to ten then made it difficult is utterly laughable. It looked like a lower league team taking on a Premiership team. No idea what our tactics were supposed to be and substitutions actually made us worse. Would love to know the criteria on which McCann was judged to be the best candidate for the job.
Grant: So many players so far off the standard. The club lost too many good players in the summer and tried to replace Derek McInnes, and those players, on the cheap and it's coming home to roost now. Need to find some quality, and quickly, or it's back to the Championship next season for us.
An injury-time defensive calamity handed Dundee a place in the last 16 of the Scottish Cup, with Drey Wright's simple finish extending nine-man Kilmarnock's winless run to 16 matches.
Image source, SNSKilmarnock manager Neil McCann tells BBC Scotland: "When we go down to ten men, it's going to be difficult.
"I'm so disappointed for the fans and the players who put so much into it. I thought we defended very well, but that mistake at the end, there is just one of those moments you need to suck up and take.
"I was just a lack of communication, Kelle's just in the door, I thought he was terrific in the match, he looked solid in goals, he did what we asked him to do, but maybe it was just a bit of communication in the message.
"You need to be decisive in that moment; it's a real killer in the dressing room."
Image source, SNSKilmarnock's new management team have created a "real positive place", says forward Tyreece John-Jules.
Neil McCann and assistant Billy Dodds oversaw their first match in charge last weekend, a 1-1 draw at Livingston.
However, Killie are still waiting for their first win since early October and host Dundee in Saturday's Scottish Cup tie (15:00 GMT).
"On the second day all of us attackers had a meeting with them, and they were telling us what they want from us, and giving us tips on what they want us to do," said John-Jules, 24.
"Even sometimes during training they still have a bit, so it's always good to see, and I'm enjoying working under them.
"It's been good, it's been positive, right away when Neil came in you could see the intent, the changes he wanted to do, he's made it a real positive place.
"All the lads there, they've taken to him well and we're just trying to implement what he's been telling us on the pitch."
John-Jules is urging unity from the Rugby Park side as they seek to overturn their season's fortunes.
"For us to have any success in the second half, we have to be together, we have to be positive, keep a positive mindset," he said.
"Because if we're all negative or some of us are even negative, then it's not going to work and we're not going to get on the pitch. It's important to have a positive environment throughout the second half of the season, no matter the result, no matter what happens.
"Every game is a chance to impress and to do well, it's a cup game, it's another chance to build momentum, not only in the cup, but take it on to the league next week as well.
"It's a chance for guys to try things and gel more on the pitch and take more risks. It's a good competition and we still want to win every game that we play, so we'll give it our all."
Image source, Kilmarnock FCNeil McCann has made his first Kilmarnock signing, adding former Aberdeen goalkeeper Kelle Roos on loan from Notts County for the rest of the season.
The 33-year-old Dutchman has made 26 appearances for County since joining the English League Two club last summer.
Roos had a two-year spell at Aberdeen from 2022 and also counts Derby County and Italians Triestina among his former clubs.
He bolsters Kilmarnock's goalkeeping options as Max Stryjek continues his recovery from heart surgery.
The club have confirmed Tobi Oluwayemi has now returned to Celtic following his emergency loan spell. The 22-year-old goalkeeper departs having made 12 appearances.
"Tobi's professionalism, attitude and commitment were evident throughout his spell, and his contribution was greatly appreciated by players, staff, and supporters," said Killie.
Charlotte Cohen
BBC Sport Scotland
Image source, SNSKilmarnock manager Neil McCann has been speaking to the media before this weekend's Scottish Cup tie against fellow Premiership side Dundee.
Here are the main points:
McCann is hopeful of new signings before the game, admitting "there were absolutely no guarantees from the board I'd be able to do that" but he has been assured "they would try to give me some help".
He adds: "I'd like to think we'd get one or two over the line" but shut down suggestions Rangers midfielder Findlay Curtis could join on loan: "I don't see that happening right now."
Having won the Scottish Cup five times as a player, McCann says the tournament "has been good to me" and feels this weekend's fourth-round game is "an opportunity to progress as manager of Kilmarnock".
While the Killie boss admits the cup is "an enormous competition," he's treating it as "just another game" and stresses "the competition is irrelevant just now, it's about winning the next game".
McCann has "fond memories" of his time in charge of Dundee but is determined to beat them for his first win as Rugby Park boss.
With three victories in four, McCann says Dundee manager Steven Pressley has shown "he's a guy who's not going to be flustered" and Killie know "it's going to be a hard game" on Saturday.
The 51-year-old "can't wait" for his first game at Rugby Park after experiencing the "magic" support at Livingston last weekend and hopes the supporters will get the chance "to see us win for the first time in a long time".
Tom Lowery has trained and will be in the squad. In terms of longer-term injuries, McCann notes Matty Kennedy is "making progress" while they will learn the extent of Marley Watkins' ankle injury today. Goalkeeper Max Stryjek is "pushing really hard and was back on the pitch" while Jamie Brandon is "back sprinting again".
