Kilmarnock

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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Eyebrows were raised by McInnes' starting XI. Two wingers, three strikers, and just one central midfielder. There was a change of shape, with Bruce Anderson, Vassell and Watkins up top.

Despite that, the lack of attacking threat was apparent. Lyons and Corrie Ndaba, playing together in midfield, didn't offer much creativity and Murray and Mackay-Steven took a while to get going.

It started to click after half-time, but as soon as Wales came on he offered distinctly more threat than the three senior strikers above him.

Capable of turning a defender, he also had the confidence of youth to take shots on and came close to scoring an incredible second.

He's certainly pushing for a first-team place now.

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Bobby Wales. The teenager was a real threat when he was on the pitch, winning his side and point and almost bagging all three as he came close to a second goal.

With Kyle Vassell, Marley Watkins and Bruce Anderson struggling for consistency, is it time to turn to the 19-year-old?

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Joe Wright has dismissed notions of Kilmarnock being "a dirty team", despite their poor disciplinary record this season.

Derek McInnes' side have received six red cards in total this season, with Liam Donnelly suspended for Saturday's match against Dundee having been sent off in the defeat by St Johnstone last weekend.

"Obviously I've had a couple myself, which I've taken accountability for and have tried my best to learn from that," Wright said, when asked about the issues Killie have had.

"And I just think that's what we've got to do as a group, learn from those mistakes.

"Obviously it's frustrating for the people that are getting sent off, but more so for the team, the support and the management.

"It's something I've never had an issue with before. Before this season, I had one red card in my whole career.

"So I wouldn't say we're a dirty team or anything like that, I just think it's, it's been a bit like London buses, they have just all come at once."

Wright says he is now trying to avoid diving into challenges as readily as he "adapts" his game to avoid further run-ins with referees.

"I have had a chat with the manager," he said. "He just spoke to me about getting back to how I was last season. I don't even think I really pick up that many yellows normally.

"So for myself to pick up two red cards in such a short space of time is something that I've tried to learn from, take accountability for and just address the way I train as well. I've tried to make sure that I stay on my feet more, probably adapting a little bit to try and help myself on match days.

"Just trying to maybe slow people down a bit more. I'm a defender that likes to be aggressive, likes to put players under pressure, but I think there's times where I've just adapted that a little bit."

Shanghai Port head coach Kevin Muscat is the bookmakers' favourite to be the new Rangers manager should Philippe Clement be sacked, just ahead of fellow former Ibrox player Derek McInnes of Kilmarnock. (The Scotsman), external

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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• Kilmarnock have only lost one of their last seven Scottish Premiership home games against Dundee (W3 D3) and are unbeaten in four (W2 D2) since a 1-0 reverse in May 2017.

• Dundee's 3-2 win over Kilmarnock earlier this month was their first in 12 Scottish Premiership meetings with Kilmarnock (D7 L4). The Dark Blues last won successive games against Killie in the competition in August 2015 (run of 3).

• Kilmarnock have lost their last three league games; not since February 2021 have they lost more in a row in the Scottish Premiership (run of 8).

• No side has kept fewer clean sheets (1) or faced more shots (197) in the Scottish Premiership this season than Dundee.

• Kilmarnock's Matty Kennedy has created more chances (31) than any other player in this season's Scottish Premiership, although only one of those has ended up as an assist.

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Derek McInnes feels his Kilmarnock side have been punished "to the full extreme" for challenges this season.

Liam Donnelly was sent off for a second booking in last weekend's 1-0 defeat to St Johnstone - the sixth red card Killie have been shown in 13 games so far.

"I don't believe we're an excessively physical team," the manager said.

"Apart from Joe Wright off the ball at St Mirren, I think we've been punished to the full extreme.

"I don't believe we have a discipline problem but the number of red cards would suggest otherwise.

"We're seeing players getting sent off or cautioned for two tackles far too often. I think the bar has been set so low this season but we're not seeing the same offence punished consistently.

"If the bar is set low we need to make sure we are squeaky clean but I do think we've been on the wrong end of a few things."

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Derek McInnes has been speaking to the media as his side prepare to face Dundee at Rugby Park on Saturday.

Here are the main points:

• McInnes reveals that Stuart Findlay has successfully undergone his operation and will now be out for the best part of three to four months.

• In light of Findlay's absence, the Killie manager suggests they will look to strengthen in January but this will be guided by what happens in the coming weeks.

• The manager also reveals David Watson suffered a thigh strain last weekend so at the moment he is "tough and go". Matty Kennedy hasn't trained with the squad so far this week but has had an injection in his back to hopefully be ready for the weekend.

• McInnes is critical of inconsistency with bookings and red cards and says "I don't believe we're a dirty team" in light of numerous sending offs this season.

• The Killie boss doesn't want to keep talking about red cards but thinks his side have been punished to the "full extreme" when it comes to bookings and second yellows -"I don't believe we have a discipline problem but the number of red cards would suggest otherwise."

• He adds him and his staff may need to start thinking about substituting players if they get yellow cards, something he's never considered before in his 17 years of manager.

• On Liam Donnelly's sending off at the weekend, McInnes says "I'd be apoplectic if he didn't make a challenge there" and insists not every card is a yellow card offence.

• Looking ahead to Dundee, McInnes shares his disappointment in the way they lost the last meeting and notes how "unusual" it is to be facing Tony Docherty's side for the third time this season, despite it only being November.

• Looking further ahead to their next 10 games, six of which are at home, the boss urges his side to capitalise on their upcoming Rugby Park matches.

• McInnes adds that by the time Killie come out of festive fixtures he wants them to be at least mid table and looking to push on.

Sandy Armour
Fan writer

In last week's column we asked Killie to repeat the Celtic performance at Perth and we'd be just fine. Sadly we got the polar opposite.

It was one of those showings that raises doubts as to where we will end up at the end of the season.

We were laboured and predictable throughout, with our substitutions merely being like for like and making things way too easy for the opposition.

The fact we have faced St Johnstone and Ross County three times now and have lost all three is a major cause for concern.

It seems rival teams have us sussed and the manager's decision to remain loyal to so many of last season's players has backfired thus far.

Our glaring problems include losing soft goals and a total lack of discipline, yet the manager sticks with them and a striker - Kyle Vassell - who has scored one goal and contributed no assists in 12 league appearances.

There are many other issues I could go into but my counsellor has told me to go for a wee lie down! We have Dundee at home this week and it goes without saying that a win is crucial.

Sandy Armour is editor of The Killie Hippo fanzine.

Watch Sportscene analysis of Kilmarnock's 1-0 defeat against St Johnstone.

Watch highlights as St Johnstone win 1-0 against Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership.

We asked for your views on Kilmarnock's 1-0 defeat against St Johnstone.

Here's what some of you said:

George: Liam Donnelly is hopeless. The red cards are shocking, what's going on? We missed Matty Kennedy.

Alexander: Offload Donnelly as soon as possible, he is a liability.

John: Like the old days if a team needs a win play Killie, are the players as close to each other as they claim?

Jim: I keep saying it Marley Watkins and Kyle Vassell are not producing the goods. It is now time to play Bruce Anderson and Innes Cameron as our front pairing. If they don't score then it is no worse than the other two. We are now in a relegation battle.

Wolfgang: Joe Wright with two reds, Donnelly with two reds and Brad Lyons with one. If these guys don't prove to Derek McInnes why we should keep them, I think we need to start looking for a revamp! Wasn't a great game and the red card wouldn't have changed anything but Derek is a good manager, and some of these players are letting him down!

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• Kilmarnock have failed to score in five of their 13 games, only Ross County (seven) have failed to score more often in the Premiership this season.

• St Johnstone have scored in their last six games in the Premiership, their longest scoring streak this season.

• Kilmarnock have lost their last three games in the Premiership, their last joint longest losing streak was from 4th August 2024 to 25th August 2024.

• St Johnstone have scored in each of their last six games in the Premiership, scoring nine goals in that run.

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Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes: “There was loads of disruption and the boys were on the bus for four-and-a-half hours getting up here.

“We planned to have a pre-match meal at Dunblane and that had to be knocked on the head. But we didn’t allow that to impact us and we actually started really well.

“But our discipline isn’t helping us and we have to be better. We are seeing a lot of red cards and I guarantee you, a lot of them would not have been given last season."

Kilmarnock suffered a third successive Scottish Premiership defeat on Saturday when they lost 1-0 to St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park.

Let us know your thoughts on the match here., external

Adam Binnie
BBC Sport Scotland

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The soft pitch made intricate passing moves difficult so Kilmarnock elected to constantly sling early deliveries into the box.

The visitors attempted a staggering 39 crosses and won 14 corners, yielding just one shot on target in the process.

That paired with a weak passing accuracy of just 65% makes for grim reading if you're a Kilmarnock fan.

Perhaps they missed Matty Kennedy and relied too heavily on Danny Armstrong?

The winger attempted 15 of the 39 total crosses but couldn't produce the goods on his return to the starting XI after a hamstring injury.

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St Johnstone: Rae, Wright, Mikulic, Sanders, Raymond, Carey, Sprangler, Holt, Clark, Kirk, Kimpioka

Substitutes: Sinclair, Cameron, Neilson, Essel, Sidibeh, Kucheriavyi, Smith, McPake, Franczak

Kilmarnock: McCrorie, Mayo, Wright, Deas, Ndaba, Donnelly, Lyons, Watson, Armstrong, Vassell, Watkins

Substitutes: O'Hara, Burroughs, McKenzie, Mackay-Steven, Murray, Cameron, Anderson, Polworth, Bainbridge

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Goalkeeper Ross Sinclair is available again for St Johnstone, who are just missing long-term absentees Uche Ikpeazu (knee), Cammy MacPherson (hip) and Sam McClelland (Achilles).

Kilmarnock midfielder Liam Polworth is back in contention while Danny Armstrong missed the Celtic game with a hamstring injury.

Stuart Findlay (ankle) is out long term and Kyle Magennis is working towards a comeback.

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Kilmarnock winger Matty Kennedy welcomed the international break and the chance of some "downtime" away from football.

Derek McInnes' side face St Johnstone on Saturday in the Scottish Premiership, looking for a positive performance after two defeats before the break.

Kennedy revealed he does not watch football at home and has instead been catching up on a few TV boxsets.

"We had a bit of downtime," he said. "There have been quite a few [breaks] this season.

"I think when you are playing the games you just want to try and continue. The break is probably a good time to spend time with family and friends but back at it now.

"When I leave work I don’t watch any football at all. I see it as a job. I watch series. I was watching Outer Banks.

"I love playing football and being around the boys but in and around the house I would never have a game of football on."

Kennedy says he has sacrificed some of his more creative instincts this season in an attempt to score more goals.

It has paid off, with four league goals this term already surpassing last season's tally of three.

"I'm just trying to get into the box more," he said. "I've probably tried to stop creating more and just get in the box. It seems to have worked.

"We have good forward players who put balls into the box. Luckily a few things have dropped for me and I've taken my chance. There is nothing fancy about it or words of wisdom. Just get in the box more."

We asked you what the one thing nobody is talking about in relation to Kilmarnock - good or bad.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Anon: Our much sought-after youth prospect Bobby Wales is out of contract in the summer and has been out the picture since his excellent assist in our 3-2 win against Dundee. He looks unlikely to sign an extension, meaning we lose not only a talented young player but also a sellable asset.

Anon: Why has Matty Kennedy not been called up again by Northern Ireland and are our goalkeepers good enough for the SPFL?

James: Marley Watkins and Kyle Vassell are good at annoying defences, but their goal scoring is not prolific. They get the odd goal here and there but not enough.

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• Since the start of 2020-21, St Johnstone have won more league games against Kilmarnock (7) than any other opponent.

• After their 2-0 win in this fixture last season, Kilmarnock could pick up successive away league victories over St Johnstone for the first time since December 2017 (run of 3).

• St Johnstone have only won one of their last 14 home league games (D4 L9), a 3-0 victory over Ross County in October, which is also their only clean sheet in this period.

• Kilmarnock have won just three of their last 29 top-flight away games played in the month of November (D9 L17), and are winless in their last nine (D3 L6) since a 1-0 victory at Hearts in 2018.

• Nicky Clark has scored five of St Johnstone's last 10 league goals, netting a penalty in both of the last two matches. The last Scottish player to score in three successive Scottish Premiership appearances for the club was Michael O'Halloran in August 2017 – a run that included a goal against Kilmarnock.

Kilmarnock are playing catch-up as they eye another top-six finish this season.

The Rugby Park side have had an uneven domestic season so far but their European adventure provided memories to last a lifetime.

No one knows the club better than the fans, so what is the one thing nobody is talking about in relation to Kilmarnock - good or bad?

Tell us your thoughts., external

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Kilmarnock have lost no belief in their bid to qualify for European football again despite an inconsistent start to the campaign, says assistant coach Paul Sheerin.

Derek McInnes guided the Rugby Park side to an impressive fourth-placed finish last term, but this season has started with just three wins in 12 league matches.

The Ayrshire club, who are currently seven points adrift of fourth, have been reduced to 10 men in several games and Sheerin admits "discipline has been an issue".

The former Aberdeen coach also cited a hectic early-season schedule, which included European qualifiers, as a reason why they have started the campaign slowly.

But Sheerin says the team remain "full of belief" as they aim to lift themselves from their position of eighth in the table.

"There's now a run of games [without a break] so hopefully we can find the consistency we are looking for," Sheerin said prior to Kilmarnock's trip to St Johnstone on Saturday.

"If you can get a couple of wins you will find yourself in the top six, it's important we do that. The belief has not gone. We are full of belief and the aim is the same as last year.

"If we can get in the mix at the split for the top six then that gives you the opportunity to play European football. That's the aim and it's not changed this season."

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Assistant coach Paul Sheerin has been speaking to the media prior to Kilmarnock's return to Premiership action at St Johnstone on Saturday.

Here are the key lines:

• Admits having so many international breaks has made the season feel "a bit stop-start" but the players have had a chance to "rest, recuperate and reset".

• Sheerin says the team will improve their league position if "we can find the consistency we are looking for".

• "The belief has not gone" in the squad as they eye European qualification for a second successive season, he adds.

• The coaching staff have recognised the changes Simo Valakari has implemented at St Johnstone and understand "what a difficult opponent they will be".

• Sheerin confirms there are no injury concerns for the trip to Perth.