Back on Track

Well, we lost at Pittodrie of course. But even in that defeat the signs were that the two Jimmys could turn around the good ship Killie. Since then we’ve dumped Inverness out of the Cup, beat Celtic in Robbie Keane’s debut (how good was that?), and taken maximum points in the oh-so-crucial games with Falkirk and St. Johnstone in the league. There was also the (admittedly horrific) draw at Hamilton and the incredible 4-4 with Utd. All of which leaves us sitting a decent 8 points off the bottom (and only 6 from 6th) and facing a Cup quarter final (re-match?) against Celtic.

Killie have played 9 games in 29 days since the Jimmys took over and the turnaround has been remarkable, better even that we could have surely hoped. We’re not safe by any means but the fight and determination (and, blimey, tactical nous we haven’t seen for years) shown by the players has been a joy to behold. Coming back from 3-1 down against Utd was something that would never have happened under JJ. The loan additions of Scott Severin, Chris Maguire and Rob Kiernan have also added some healthy competition for places. Maguire, particularly, has been outstanding and you do wonder why Aberdeen let him go.

Well done lads. Onwards and upwards.

A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing?

When Jimmy Calderwood walks through the doors of Pittoddrie tomorrow as the newly-appointed boss of Kilmarnock, the hurt he feels at being ousted from the Aberdeen hot-seat last season is likely still to dig deep. Whether he’ll choose this opportunity to probe Willie Miller further on the reasons for his sacking is less clear. A Killie win would please him on a number of levels; the post-match boardroom should be fun in any case.

Calderwood’s real concern tomorrow, of course, is Kilmarnock. Once again we enter a weekend of fixtures that could leave us bottom of the SPL. After an inauspicious start against an average Motherwell side (0-3), Calderwood’s tenure received an early tonic with the scrambled 1-0 defeat of Falkirk in the Cup only two days later. With two games in his first four days in charge this was probably as acceptable an outcome as we could have hoped for.

With almost a week of training behind them the new management team (with Jimmy Nicholl and now Sandy Clark also in place) should have had the chance to start moulding a team of their making. Whatever Jim Jefferies’ abilities, there is no doubt he left behind a team disorganised and lacking any modicum of confidence. Early suggestions are that these traits are gradually being re-introduced.

So, good luck the two Jimmys and let’s hope that Killie – backed by what is anticipated to be a bigger-than-normal travelling support – can get the much needed win that could get our season back on track.

And if it sticks a finger or two up to Willie Miller into the bargain then all well and good.