The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Manager McCulloch lays it on line for toiling Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock manager Lee McCulloch told some home truths after last week’s defeat at Motherwell.
A 2-0 loss at Fir Park left McCulloch’s side with just one point from its opening five Premiership matches.
The Rugby Park manager was not happy with his side’s second-half collapse and has let his players know he expects better in a series of meetings this week. “After the Motherwell game, a few home truths were told so I’m pretty pleased with the way training went this week,” McCulloch said ahead of today’s trip to Aberdeen.
“We spoke after the game on Saturday and then first thing Monday morning we had a team meeting, and individual meetings with every player.
“We weren’t great in the first half against Motherwell but not terrible either, and I think it was a pretty 50-50 game.
“In the second half, when we lost the goal the body language was bad and the heads went down and that was what annoyed me the most.
“We’ve been stressing all week we have to play to the final whistle.”
McCulloch suggested some players had been cruising during the early stages of the season, while defender Gordon Greer questioned the effort of some of his team-mates after the match.
The manager said: “From the first day I came in, I said to the players I would give them 100% honesty, and I feel that’s what I’ve done in the meetings.
“There’s no point doing it in a team meeting to try to embarrass anybody.
“I’ve got my version of the truth and what I require from the players to play for this club, and there’s not one place in this team that’s nailed down.
“Maybe there were a few thinking that, but certainly after the meetings with the players they won’t be thinking that now.
“It was just about telling the players the truth.”
He added: “There were three or four in mind that I thought were still playing within themselves, and needed to come out of their shells and start expressing themselves a bit more.
“We spoke about that as well.
“The proof is in the pudding, come match day we will see how we go, but it’s not for the want of trying.”