KYLE PERFECT FIT TO BE MAIN MAN AT KILLIE
RICHARD FOSTER knew Kyle Lafferty would be the perfect fit for Kilmarnock the moment Tommy Wright handed the big striker a deal until the end of the season.
Personalty, goals and a hunger to be the man on the big occasion meant the Northern Ireland striker ticked every box.
Three goals in five games suggest the 33-year-old’s arrival could be a masterstroke in Killie’s survival bid.
Former Rangers team-mate Foster said: “Kyle scores big goals in big games – I remember him doing it for Rangers and Hearts and now he’s doing it for Kilmarnock.
“He’s just someone who thrives on the pressure of being the main guy, not in an arrogant way but he just likes that challenge of saying, ‘I’m going to be the guy that keeps Kilmarnock up’ or ‘I’m going to score the goals that win the league for Rangers’.
“In most cases he has delivered when he’s had to. That was certainly the case on the last day at Kilmarnock 2011.
“He banged one in in the first minute and we were 3-0 up after seven. We knew we had to win the game to win the league and that kind of start was essential.
“Kyle lobbed Cammy Bell with just seconds on the clock. It was a great finish and exactly what we needed with the pressure as intense as it was.
“He went on to hit a hattrick and be the main man. That’s the quality he has and what Kilmarnock are
BY FRASER WILSON seeing now. He uses his pace, he is a good finisher and he hassles defenders all day long.
“Kyle’s personality will be a big impact in the dressing room as well. He’s nuts!
“He’s like a hyperactive child, always winding folk up, but it’s just impossible to get mad with him.
“If he’s not taping your shoes together, he’s up to something else. You’re annoyed but it’s hard not to laugh.
“Personalities like that are important when the pressure is on. It helps players relax and enjoy being around the club.
“But you can’t underestimate the experience and quality he brings on the park where it matters.”
Walter Smith was the man tasked with getting the best out of the dressing room mischief-maker at Ibrox. And Foster reckons Killie boss Wright will also be a master of making Lafferty tick.
He said: “Kyle needs to have a good manager who understands him and the personality he brings. In Walter Smith he certainly had that. And in a similar vein Tommy Wright knows how to get the best out of players – he did it for years at St Johnstone.
“It seems Killie and Kyle are a great fit right now. I certainly hope he helps keep them stay up for both his sake and Tommy’s.
“Tommy brings stability, organisation and a good knowledge of the game. It seems he has rejuvenated Kilmarnock and Kyle’s goals been massive in that.”