3/10
LEAGUE: 10th, 41pts (2013-14 - 9th, 39pts)
SCOTTISH CUP: Fourth round
LEAGUE CUP: Third round
MOST USED FIRST XI: Craig Samson, Ross Barbour, Manuel Pascali, Mark Connolly, Chris Chantler, Craig Slater, Jamie Hamill, Sammy Clingan, Tope Obadeyi, Rory McKenzie, Josh Magennis
OVERVIEW: Well, I suppose that, because their Premiership status was confirmed with one game to spare rather than on the final day, that's a marginal improvement on last year? Nah, to be honest this was another poor season down Rugby Park way, where only a strong start (20pts from the first 10 games was followed by just 21pts from the remaining 28 games) actually saved them. Allan Johnston, presumably aware that he was unlikely to have his contract extended before the summer, pre-emptively announced in February that he would be leaving, forcing the club to choose between paying him off or leaving him as a lame duck; the former option left them with Gary Locke in charge, which seemed clever until he was given a three year contract and promptly oversaw seven straight defeats. There really wasn't much positive to shout about, and even the artificial pitch didn't seem to give them much of an advantage.
HIGH POINTS: The best two performances of the season came against Dundee United - a 2-0 win in October on Friday night TV, and a 3-2 victory in Gary Locke's first game in charge.
LOW POINTS: That horrible late season run even included a 4-1 drubbing at St. Mirren Park. But the most embarrassing day for the fans was being thumped at Ibrox in the Scottish Cup, where the performance was placid and the tactics were cowardly.
STAR MAN: It was no coincidence that form slumped when centre-back Mark Connolly broke his collarbone. He was a real standout, though that wasn't surprising given the shambolic defending from those around him.
ONE FOR THE FUTURE: Forward Greg Kiltie added a wee bit of a spark late in the season, and at 18 he should have plenty of room for improvement. Killie need to sign him on a new contract first, though.
WASTE OF SPACE: One suspects that ex-Aberdeen striker Lee Miller didn't sign up for buttons, so his return of a single goal and virtually no sweat was poor.
THE BOSS: Kilmarnock's record under Gary Locke: three wins, three draws, eight defeats. Yeah, that three year contract was daft. The ex-Hearts gaffer showed that he could certainly motivate players for one-off games - the performances in his first few games in charge were the best - but he doesn't have any clever tactical ideas and doesn't seem to have a Plan B either. Maybe the naysayers will be proven wrong, but he's done little to inspire confidence for the future. Since Kenny Shiels left, Killie have seemed devoid of a long-term plan; Locke needs to find one, as short-term fixes won't do.
PROSPECTS FOR NEXT SEASON: Killie have been threatening to end up in the bottom two for a couple of seasons now; with newly promoted Hearts likely to be far superior, and Motherwell and Ross County set to strengthen, Kilmarnock have to improve their squad even just to stand still. There's likely to be significant turnover, with Manuel Pascali and Alexei Eremenko set to move on (and several other players out of contract), and the quality of their new signings will make or break them. If they have a slow start, it will be difficult for them to recover.
FIRST TEAMERS DEFINITELY LEAVING: Paul Cairney, Chris Chantler, Sammy Clingan, Nathan Eccleston, Lee Miller
Lawrie Spence (LS) has ranted and spouted his ill-informed opinions on Narey's Toepoker since September 2007. He has a life outside this blog. Honestly.
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