Kilmarnock

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Stuart Kettlewell expects "the best version of" Rangers when Kilmarnock travel to Ibrox on Sunday.

The struggling hosts have just one Scottish Premiership win all season and are one point and one place below Kettlewell's Killie, who are fifth in the table.

Rangers began new head coach Danny Rohl's reign by losing 3-0 away to Brann in Thursday's Europa League tie.

"I'll analyse the performance and how they played but I'll not pass comment about what I thought about it or starting to give clear description of what other people may or may not think," said manager Kettlewell.

"I get this narrative at the minute that everybody's jumping on the bandwagon, people will be talking about that result not being good enough last night.

"But again, when you start to look at it closely, there are a lot of good players in that Rangers squad.

"There's been heavy investment to make sure they bring in what they feel are top players and guys that can really flourish at the football club.

"I get and acknowledge it's not been the start in performances at Rangers that supporters, staff or players would be expecting.

"But I'm also the guy that really expects the best version of them on Sunday. And I think if you go there imagining something different, you're very, very naive and sometimes I think that's where you can get a smack in the face."

Caleb Akpo-Young
BBC Sport Scotland

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Kilmarnock have signed former England Under-21 striker Tyreece John-Jules on a short-term deal until January.

The move follows a season-ending injury to striker Djenairo Daniels while on international duty with Suriname.

Arsenal academy product John-Jules, 24, spent last season at English League Two side Crawley Town and previously had loans spells at clubs including Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday.

He is available for a debut when Kilmarnock visit Rangers in the Premiership on Sunday.

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• Rangers have won each of their past eight home league games against Kilmarnock by an aggregate score of 22-3 since a 1-1 draw in March 2019.

• Kilmarnock have only won two of their past 13 league meetings with Rangers, losing the other 11, with both wins coming at home via 1-0 scoreline (Aug 2023, Oct 2024).

• Along with Falkirk, Rangers are one of just two sides yet to win a home game in the Scottish Premiership this season (P4 D3 L1). The Ibrox team haven't gone five home league matches without a win since August 1988 under Graeme Souness and last did so within a single season in May 1960 under Scot Symon (8 games).

• Kilmarnock have lost just one of their past five away league games, winning two of them (D2) – as many as their previous 18 on the road in the Scottish Premiership beforehand (W2 D4 L12). Killie haven't enjoyed back-to-back away wins in the competition since October 2020.

• This will be Danny Rohl's first league game in charge of Rangers; including caretakers, none of the past 10 managers to take charge of the club in the top flight lost their first game (W7 D3) since Graeme Murty went down 2-1 to Dundee as caretaker in February 2017. The last permanent Rangers boss to lose his first top-flight game with the club was Dick Advocaat in August 1998 (2-1 v Hearts).

Jack Herrall
BBC Sport Scotland

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With Max Stryjek set for a spell out of the Kilmarnock side, how big an impact could his absence have?

The length of Stryjek's unavailability due to an unspecified health issue is still unclear, but Killie have added cover with the emergency loan signing of Tobi Oluwayemi this week.

Robby McCrorie, currently on loan at Danish second-tier side Esbjerg, struggled to establish himself as the number one, but Stryjek did just that, bringing confidence to the defence of a side that sits fifth in the Premiership.

Stryjek arrived in the summer as one of new manager Kettlewell's signings and has made himself a firm fan favourite in East Ayrshire.

Stryjek's reliability and consistency are clear when his stats are compared to top-flight counterparts who have played at least five top-flight games this season.

The 29-year-old has the second highest save percentage (73.3) and ranks third for save percentage (68) for shots from inside the area. He has saved all five shots he's faced from outside the area.

Eight of Killie's 11 goals this season were conceded by the former Livingston keeper, a total bettered by only Kasper Schmeichel and Shamal George.

Killie's depth between the sticks is a concern, too. Oluwayemi spent last season on loan at Dunfermline, while Eddie Beach, who deputised in last weekend's 3-0 loss to Hearts, has played most of his football in the National League South.

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Kilmarnock have signed Celtic goalkeeper Tobi Oluwayemi on an emergency seven-day loan.

Oluwayemi, 22, spent last season on loan at Dunfermline, having previously had spells with Cork City and Admira Wacker in Austria.

He now joins Kilmarnock for an initial seven-day period.

Max Stryjek missed Sunday's defeat by Hearts with an unspecified issue.

Manager Stuart Kettlewell said before that match: "I can tell you to a degree - due to routine annual screening of the players, which we do, it's flagged up something that requires further investigation."

Midfielder David Watson, whose Kilmarnock contract ends next summer, is keen on a move to Rangers, while the 20-year-old scores highly in Hearts' recruitment system and English Championship clubs are also watching his progress. (TeamTalk), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Sandy Armour
Fan writer

The much-anticipated battle with league leaders Hearts turned out to be a damp squib for Killie as we picked the wrong time to put in our worst performance of the season.

We gifted three goals that wouldn't have looked out of place in a Sunday pub league.

But our preparation wasn't helped by the loss of goalkeeper Max Stryjek. The three centre-backs certainly seemed to be spooked by his absence.

Eddie Beach did nothing wrong but if Stryjek is out for a while then we urgently need to get an experienced keeper signed.

The league table is tight so we still find ourselves in fifth, although there are only six points between Hibs in third and Livingston at the bottom.

We are off to Ibrox this Sunday, and it will be interesting to see if the manager freshens up the starting XI.

Ben Brannan, Jamie Brandon and Scott Tiffoney are all back from injury and may feature, but I suspect we might fight out a 1-1 draw.

Sandy Armour is editor of The Killie Hippo fanzine

Watch the Sportscene team discuss Kilmarnock's defensive problems following a 3-0 defeat to Hearts.

Former Rangers and Scotland winger Chris Burke has ended his eight-year association with Kilmarnock to pursue a new opportunity. (Scottish Sun)

Read the rest of Monday's gossip.

Watch highlights as Hearts made it five wins in a row as they eased past Stuart Kettlewell's Kilmarnock.

We asked for your thoughts after Kilmarnock's 3-0 defeat to Hearts.

Here's a taste of what you had to say:

Johnny: The players settled well early on then let Hearts in with a undefended corner. We became nervous and the teamwork evaporated from then on in. Hard watch but credit to Hearts, they were well organised and kept things simple. One to forget and move on from. We're still building as a team but were well off it.

John: 20 minutes of Killie dominance tranquillised by a Hearts set piece goal leaving Killie stunned, outplayed and outclassed. A glimmer of the Stuart Kettlewell way, smart crisp passing, energetic pressing resulting in midfield dominance was superb to watch, unfortunately undone after the first goal 19 minutes in. The remainder of the match was a tough watch, poor passing consistently giving Hearts chance after chance. Our Achilles heel remains in the final third where chances are few and far between, our strikers need remedial shooting training. Losing to the team at the top is fine, they weren't great but took their chances, something we must get better at.

Robert: First half performance showed that we are not far from being a really decent team. We still lack that wee bit of quality in the midfield that would make all the difference. We've generally defended well so far this season so hard to understand the basic errors made for all three goals. Definitely no need to panic.

Brian: I agree 100% with Stuart Kettlewell that we shot ourselves in the foot. We presented Hearts with opportunities and fair play to them for taking them. Not much between the sides but Hearts deserved their win. Kettlewell is doing a great job for us at Killie.

Alan: Dreadful defending all night, basic errors gave the game away. With the exception of the magnificent David Watson, we had no midfield whatsoever, so all the analysis that is done on a Monday should clearly show that up, or will it? We actually looked like a part time team as the game went on, men against boys sadly.

Robert: Hearts weren't as far ahead of Killie as the score would make appear. Three poor defensive decisions, two of which were individual mistakes directly leading to goals. Liam Polworth and Marcus Dackers were totally tactically unaware slow and poor passing summed them up, Kettlewell must be furious. However, have to point out another abysmal inconsistent refereeing performance

Kilmarnock miss a chance to consolidate third place in the Scottish Premiership as they slip to fifth after a 3-0 home defeat by a Hearts side now led by former Rugby Park boss Derek McInnes.

Manager Stuart Kettlewell thinks his side shot themselves in the foot with some uncharacteristic defensive mistakes.

Read Clive Lindsay's match report.

And give us your thoughts.

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Kilmarnock manager Stuart Kettlewell bemoaned his side's defensive errors in their 3-0 defeat at home to Hearts.

"I thought we were on the front foot," he said. "And then we drop a marker and it's a really good header [for Hearts' first goal] and I thought Hearts grew into it at that point.

"We got to a point tonight where we were trying to make passes and put pressure on ourselves.

"Hearts are going to punish you if that's the case, and the frustrating thing is we haven't seen those individual errors so far this season.

"We didn't show a great reaction to the first goal, definitely didn't to the second, and by the time the third goes in, Hearts are playing with real confidence."

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Kilmarnock striker Djenairo Daniels is likely to be out for the rest of the season with a knee injury picked up on international duty. Marley Watkins is working his way back from a heel injury while Jamie Brandon, Matty Kennedy and Tom Lowery remain out.

Hearts have Christian Borchgrevink and Calem Nieuwenhof (hamstring) pushing for a return, but Ageu (hamstring) and Frankie Kent (knee) will remain out for another week. Ryan Fulton (groin) and Finlay Pollock (hamstring) are still missing.

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Kilmarnock defender Dominic Thompson says the side "don't fear anyone" as they welcome league leaders Hearts to Rugby Park on Saturday evening.

Stuart Kettlewell's side currently sit third in the Scottish Premiership, but full-back Thompson says the side won't be getting ahead of themselves despite only losing once in 90 minutes this season.

"We sit third at the moment, so we don't want to get carried away in terms of where we are at the moment," he said.

"If we were first, it would be the same thing, there's a long way to go.

"But we still want to keep the momentum and keep taking points where we can

"We don't fear anyone.

"I don't think we go into games with an underdog mentality, we always know our own ability and capabilities as a group and how we can hurt teams. There's always a chance for us."

Many Killie fans have been impressed with the defender's start to this season since he signed a one-year deal earlier this season, but the 25-year-old says the best is yet to come from him in a blue and white top.

"I still feel quite far from it [my best] to be honest," he said.

"I still know within myself I've got a long, long way to go, but I'm fairly content with my performances at the moment.

"But there's still more to come from me for sure in terms of physicality, athleticism, and fitness."

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• Kilmarnock have lost both of their last two Scottish Premiership games against Heart of Midlothian, as many as their previous 13 beforehand (W7 D4 L2).

• This will be Heart of Midlothian boss Derek McInnes' first league match against Kilmarnock since leaving the club. McInnes has only lost one of his last 30 top-flight matches against Killie (W23 D6), and is unbeaten in his last 16 away games against them at this level (W13 D3) since a 3-2 defeat with St Johnstone in February 2010.

• Kilmarnock have won both of their last two league games without conceding, but haven't won three in a row with a clean sheet each time in the Scottish Premiership since April 2018 under Steve Clarke.

• Heart of Midlothian have won 10 of their last 11 league games (D1), including each of their last five away from home. Not since January 2011 have Hearts had a longer away winning run in the top-flight (seven).

• David Watson has scored in both of Kilmarnock's last two home league games; the last player to score in three successive home appearances for Killie in the top-flight while aged 20 or younger was Steven Naismith in March 2007.

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Kilmarnock boss Stuart Kettlewell says it looks like Djenairo Daniels' season is over after sustaining "a significant knee injury" on international duty with Suriname.

The 23-year-old striker was a half-time substitute in Friday's 1-1 draw with Guatemala but was withdrawn after 64 minutes. He is due to visit a specialist on Thursday.

"What I probably can say is it looks like that'll be season over for him," Kettlwell said.

"I don't want to get carried away but he's got an appointment with a specialist. The most important thing is that we want to show our support to him.

"Very disappointing because he was on a high, his performances had earned him the right to go and play for the national team.

"My words to him are it's not even close to a career ending injury. We need to remember the mentality side of it for football players. We need to look after him and we'll do that medically but also on a personal basis.

"The players have been unbelievable with him and we're a tight knit group here, we insist on it. The players immediately get round him and pick him up."

Kilmarnock, who are looking to make it three wins from their last three games in the Scottish Premiership, host league leaders Hearts on Saturday as former manager Derek McInnes returns to Rugby Park.

"I look forward to the game because they are league leaders and they've started the season so well," the 41-year-old added.

"We want to test ourselves against teams that are doing well and playing well. We're doing not too bad ourselves so we want to maintain that and try and keep that good run of form going.

"I think there will be a big crowd and it's what this league throws up. I believe it will be a real tough test but I hope to see our players go from strength to strength."

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Kilmarnock boss Stuart Kettlewell has been speaking to the media as his side prepare for Saturday's home game against Hearts.

Here are the main points:

• Kettlewell says it looks like "season over" for striker Djenairo Daniels who suffered a "serious knee injury" on international duty with Suriname.

• Although disappointed, the Killie boss is focused on looking after Daniels and has been pleased with the response from his teammates to "pick him up".

• Kettlewell admits Daniels' injury is a "double blow" following Marley Watkins' injury a few weeks ago and says he's going to have to "be creative" with how they operate at the top end of the pitch.

• But the Killie manager is hopeful his injury woes won't force the Ayrshire club to change their priorities in the January window and insists he's focused on "trying to accelerate the recovery of certain players".

• Kettlewell is looking forward to coming up against the league leaders and admits it "will be a real tough test" but hopes his players can continue going "from strength to strength".

• On Derek McInnes' return to Rugby Park, the former Motherwell manager says he knows what it's like after his return to Fir Park this season but stresses neither he, nor McInnes, can control how fans will react.

• The 41-year-old stresses the importance of the home crowd on Saturday but insists his side "need to give them something to be positive about".

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Hearts boss Derek McInnes says the manner of his departure from Kilmarnock was not ideal - but he feels comfortable with the way he handled himself.

Top-of-the-table Hearts head to the Ayrshire club on Saturday, whom McInnes left in May to take over at Tynecastle.

"I was disappointed I never got the chance to say goodbye properly," he said.

"I get the emotion of it all and how quickly it turned towards the back end of the season, but I can look myself in the mirror and say I did everything right by Kilmarnock.

"I'd said to them that if Hearts made the approach that I wanted to speak to them, and that was the only thing that probably didn't sit well with a lot of people at Kilmarnock.

"The main people at the club were all fully aware. When I look back now, I made it clear through my agent to Hearts and Kilmarnock that I wasn't going to speak to until Kilmarnock were safe. I feel good about that.

"I felt it was the right thing to do. I wanted no distractions and we made sure once Kilmarnock were safe, I was hoping then there could be a natural opportunity to speak to Hearts.

"I took the game against Motherwell, it was Billy who had asked me to take the team and I went along with it, but I thought for obvious reasons it was always going to be a difficult once it became clear I was keen to speak to Hearts.

"That's all in the past. I had some brilliant times at Kilmarnock. My family were fully invested in the club, three-and-a-half years there.

"Our promotion, fourth spot, European adventures, the majority were good times. I have only good feelings towards Kilmarnock and the people there."

Sandy Armour
Fan writer

Every time we have an international break it simply reinforces how much I love Killie and how much I miss them as we endure the national team's battles.

The old club versus country pub argument was always 'would you rather Killie win the league or Scotland win the World Cup?'

It's a no brainer for me - Killie all day long, though I'm not holding my breath for either.

If we are going to bag the title this season the best place to start would be beating league leaders Hearts on Saturday.

It's really set up to be a belter with both teams in form and a late kick-off ensuring the home supporters will be well oiled and in good voice.

I'm sure Derek McInnes will get a frosty reception after leaving Killie for Hearts in May and I fancy he'll head back to Gorgie with a single-goal defeat.

I'll back David Watson to be the goal scoring hero again and I predict there will also be a red card.

Sandy Armour is editor of The Killie Hippo fanzine

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Scottish football's head of referees says that the type of penalty that earned Celtic a last-gasp Scottish Premiership win away to Kilmarnock last month should not be given in future.

Kilmarnock defender Lewis Mayo was penalised for handball by referee John Beaton after a VAR review before Kelechi Iheanacho scored from the spot to secure a 2-1 stoppage-time victory.

The ball struck Mayo after a shot had deflected off team-mate Robbie Deas.

Scottish FA head of referees Willie Collum told the VAR Review Show: "The arm is definitely up, it's unnatural.

"If the shot goes direct here and hits Lewis Mayo in that position and there's no deflection, it's 100% a penalty kick.

"Even in this situation with the deflection, in law you can justify a penalty because of the body shape.

"The law doesn't talk about deflection or close proximity. This is guidance rather than law, which talks about unnatural position.

"However, it's about stakeholders' views and pretty much nobody accepted this as a penalty.

"We've had good discussions with the KMI (key match incident) panel, with clubs and also players and the feeling is this should not be punished going forward.

"So we want to recalibrate in terms of this decision. That, if it's such close proximity and it's deflected, even if the arm's in this position, then we don't punish it.

"But there's a slight caveat to that and that is two key words - impact, consequence. If we put this in the goal-line and the ball's going into the net then it changes everything altogether."

Collum agreed with decisions over other contentious handball incidents in September, saying Deas should not have been punished against St Mirren because his arm was in a natural position.