Job’s on the line if we keep playing like that
Stu: Old pals’ act with bosses won’t save me
STUART KETTLEWELL knows if Ross County continue to play like they did at Kilmarnock his job will be on the line.
The Staggies boss, who takes his team to Celtic in the Betfred Cup this weekend, ripped into his side after they lost to 10-man Killie and warned if there’s no improvements there will be changes.
Kettlewell has a good relationship with chairman Roy MacGregor but is putting him under pressure to turn the Highlanders’ around.
He said: “Roy has been great, he’s always great and always challenges me. So for as much as people think we have a great relationship and he just pats me on the back all the time, telling me everything’s fine and I’ll keep supporting you, he challenges me.
“Roy challenges me more than people know and Steven Ferguson, the chief executive, challenges me too. I don’t sit here in an ivory tower just because I have a relationship with the chairman and a history with the club.
“I’m challenged on a daily basis. I can’t ask for any more than the backing the chairman has given me but if my team continue to perform the way they did on Saturday that will increase the pressure on me. That’s not being dramatic, it’s the reality of football.”
Kettlewell put his squad together in the summer but could rip it up in January.
He said: “I’m not saying we’re looking for five or six players but if we continue to play at that level, with the injury list we’ve got, then we’ll have to look in January.
“The manager and coaching staff are the ones who get shot at and come under pressure. We have to find a formula from this group here or we’ll have to find an alternative.”