Kilmarnock: Has Derek McInnes got his hands full reviving Rugby Park club?
- Published
Kilmarnock have won just two of their last seven league games and tumbled from top spot
Kilmarnock have pulled off a coup by enticing Derek McInnes to try to reignite their title bid - but what awaits the former Aberdeen manager?
He inherits a club struggling to live up their billing as Scottish Championship favourites in pursuit of a top-flight return at the first attempt.
Having dropped down a division from his previous role, BBC Scotland examines the major issues facing the 50-year-old successor to Tommy Wright at Rugby Park.
Pressure tells as Kilmarnock founder in big games
The stakes are sizeable for Kilmarnock, who gambled by maintaining their playing budget this season despite having "haemorrhaged a lot of money" in dropping out of the top flight for the first time in 28 years.
Wright carried out an extensive overhaul last summer and the reshaped squad looked primed for a promotion charge.
However, that expectation - and pressure to deliver - has proved a weighty burden for a club regarded as a scalp in the second tier.
Despite a strong start - five wins, all without conceding, from the opening six games - the wheels came off and it was promotion rivals inflicting most of the damage.
In the biggest games, Kilmarnock have been found wanting. Just one victory has been accrued in eight meetings with fellow top-five clubs.
From a possible 24 points, they have taken a meagre four - a goalless draw at Arbroath and 2-0 triumph away to Partick Thistle. Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Raith Rovers have both beaten the Rugby Park men twice.
The congested nature of the top half means the title is still well within Kilmarnock's reach, as they sit fourth but just five points off leaders Arbroath, who have played an extra game.
However, McInnes must quickly restore belief and instil a winning mentality among a squad struggling to adapt to their status of being the team everyone wants to beat.
And their shocking record against promotion contenders is in urgent need of improvement if an immediate return to the Premiership is to be secured.
Home woes & lack of goals
The goals have dried up for striker Oli Shaw (right) and manager Tommy Wright's playing style left fans unconvinced
As Hearts proved last season, eye-catching football and Championship success is a difficult balance to strike. It's all about grinding out wins and getting the job done by any means necessary.
Kilmarnock's style was turgid under Wright and, when results nosedived, so did the fans' tolerance. Bringing more vibrancy to the Ayrshire side's attacking play, and addressing their struggles at home, must be priorities.
They have four wins and four defeats from nine home games, the fifth 'best' record in the division. In comparison, they have taken 20 points from a possible 30 on the road, a total bettered only by Arbroath.
McInnes' new side are averaging under a goal per game on their artificial surface, but those scoring woes aren't confined to Rugby Park.
With 24 goals in 19 matches, Kilmarnock are only the fifth most potent side in the division, although their defence is the joint meanest with 14 conceded.
Top scorer Oli Shaw has netted eight times, but the last of those came in mid-November, while a lack of dynamism and creativity in midfield has allowed rivals to nullify Kilmarnock's threat.
'Kilmarnock look nervous & vulnerable' - analysis
Former striker Rory Loy, who began his career at Kilmarnock
If Shaw isn't scoring, he doesn't really do anything else. When they play him up front, they are sacrificing other areas in the hope he gets a goal.
There's a nervousness and vulnerability about Kilmarnock when things aren't going their way. It's a totally different mindset in the Championship, where they are expected to win every week, and the players have found it really difficult.
If Kilmarnock don't get promoted this season, the budget will likely be cut and they could find themselves out of the top flight for a few years.