Kilmarnock

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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.

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Former Kilmarnock striker Kyle Lafferty says he was "flung under the bus in a way" with the handling of a sectarian comment he made in September 2022.

The 37-year-old, who played for Kilmarnock at the time of the incident, was withdrawn from the Northern Ireland squad and subsequently banned for 10 matches by the Scottish FA.

Lafferty, who has 20 goals in 89 caps, has not been selected for Northern Ireland since.

The striker accepts his international career is over, but while he recognises the sectarian remark was his mistake, he feels he the situation could have been handled better.

"I'm not going to sit here and blame anyone else, the words came out of my mouth," he told BBC Sport NI in a wide-ranging interview.

"It could have been handled better slightly, maybe. I felt I was flung under the bus in a way."

He added: "Never getting a call-up since, was it down to that video? I don't know."

Lafferty on 'massive' career regrets - read the full interview

Sandy Armour
Fan writer

It was fantastic to see Scotland grab two wins against decent opposition. However, I'm a club before country man so it's good to know there are no more international interruptions until March.

Allied to our own European games it's been a very stop-start season but we can now concentrate on building some momentum in the league and rejoining the top-six battle.

Our performance against Celtic was arguably our best of the season and a defeat like that is far more acceptable than our self-inflicted losses to Ross County and Dundee.

We're on the road again this Saturday, weather permitting, when we take on a St Johnstone team keen to impress their new boss.

Perth isn't a particularly happy hunting ground, however it's not a time to be worrying about the opposition.

If we can get on the front foot and replicate the Celtic performance then I fancy we'll be heading back down the road with three points.

Sandy Armour is editor of the Killie Hippo fanzine

Amy Canavan
BBC Sport Scotland

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European football hasn't come without a domestic cost for Kilmarnock this season.

Twelve games in, many Rugby Park regulars would have hoped to have amassed more than an average of a point a game.

However, after a slow start in the Scottish Premiership, Derek McInnes' men have started to climb the congested table. Most noticeably, courtesy of being comeback kings.

Of the 12 points Killie have earned this season, nine have been won from a losing position. No team has fought back for more. In fact Dundee - ah, the duality of late winners against them - are next in the comeback chart with six.

One of the most dramatic of them all came at Dens Park, with Matty Kennedy grabbing the winner to turn a 2-0 defeat into an unlikely 3-2 victory. Then, of course, Killie got a taste of their own medicine by squandering a two-goal lead in the same fixture a month later.

Winger Kennedy, though, is once again having an influential season. He has created 31 chances, a league high, with 15 successful crosses from open play too - also the best in the division.

The same can't be said at the other end, however. And this is really where Killie's problems have been this term.

Once a tough nut to crack, they're leaking too many goals - only St Johnstone (27) have conceded more than the Rugby Park side's 25.

They've faced an almighty 182 shots, 62 of which have been on target. Again, no team has faced more, but this isn't a stat chart you want to top, especially as Kilmarnock aren't outscoring teams, with just 15 goals netted in their dozen outings.

While that makes for relatively grim reading, the positive is that on their march to fourth last season, Killie were only four points better off at this stage.

Tightening up at the back and keeping 11 players on the park - no need to go down that road again - and the European spots could again be in sight.

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Reo Hatate should have been sent off in Celtic's 2-0 victory over Kilmarnock on Sunday, according to the Scottish FA's key match incident review panel.

The Celtic midfielder was booked for catching Liam Donnelly with his studs, and video assistant referee Don Robertson agreed with on-field official Nick Walsh's decision.

However, by a 3-2 majority, the KMI panel has deemed that the offence was serious foul play that "endangered the safety of the opponent" and VAR should have intervened to recommend a red card review.

The incident occurred in the closing stages when Celtic were 2-0 up and Hatate was substituted five minutes from time.

In the same game, the panel unanimously agreed that a yellow card and no VAR intervention was the correct call for Joe Wright's challenge on Adam Idah where the Kilmarnock defender caught the Celtic striker with an elbow.

BBC Scotland's chief sportswriter Tom English has been answering your questions on Kilmarnock.

Frank asked: Do you feel that Kilmarnock have been unlucky or harshly treated with players being sent off?

Tom answered: Well, there's been a lot of them, hasn't there? Off the top of my head, I'm trying to think of all the different incidents that led to the reds.

Maybe there was one or so that are harsh. I think from memory, most of them were justified or borderline. I think Derek McInnes has been very good on this and hasn't sought sympathy or excuses.

In a large part he's taken them all on the chin and has been critical of the decision-making that some of these players have made in those moments. Some of the reds were just ludicrous from an indiscipline point of view and self-defeating.

And you look at Killie, they've had Europe to deal with, that was difficult enough. But I think they're in a false position. They'll come through.

They're four points down on where they were last season. I don't have many fears for them.

They have a very, very good manager. And I think they will be banging on the door at the top six. But I say that about a few others as well. They can't all be up there.

Sandy Armour
Fan writer

We may have walked away from the Celtic game with no points, but the players and management can still hold their heads high.

We matched Celtic in all but one department. If we had taken our chances the points would have stayed at the Theatre of Pies.

We've had a tricky run of games over the last month, but when we return from the international break there is an opportunity for us to start climbing the table.

The injury to Stuart Findlay is a huge blow and it may well be the manager will look to fill the void in the January transfer window.

I don't think we have great leadership on the park in the Ray Montgomerie or Manuel Pascali mould, so it would be a huge lift for everyone if we could introduce that kind of individual.

Finally, it's been a very sad weekend for the Killie family with the deaths of two great Killie fans. Both Adam Watt and Tom Cartner were lovely guys taken far too soon, our thoughts go out to both families.

Sandy Armour is editor of the Killie Hippo fanzine