JONES ACCUSED OF BEING DISRESPECTFUL TO KILMARNOCK
STEPHEN Craigan has accused Jordan Jones of being naive and disrespectful in the wake of striking a deal to join Rangers and warned Kilmarnock fans could turn against the winger and make his position at Rugby Park untenable.
Jones took to Twitter after signing a pre- contract agreement with the Ibrox club last week and stated the moment was “a dream come true” before signing off “WATP” (We Are The People).
However, the 25- year- old will only join the Glasgow club, who are just a point ahead of his Ayrshire outfit in the Premiership table, after the 2018/19 campaign finishes in May.
His post, which appeared on the day of Kilmarnock’s 150th anniversary, has been badly received by many Rugby Park supporters and prompted Barry Richmond, a Kilmarnock Trust director, to call for him to be dropped.
Speaking as Premier Sports unveiled their presenting team for the William Hill Scottish Cup at Hampden, former Northern Ireland captain Craigan branded his countryman’s actions ill- advised and predicted they could have far-reaching consequences.
“It’s naive by Jordan,” he said. “I don’t know him personally, so I don’t know what his motives are. I’d be surprised if someone has advised him on that. It could be just a personal thing.
“I’m a big believer that if you’re going to earn brownie points from a club, you’re going to earn it from your playing style. Let the fans buy into what you do when you’re playing.
“I think he’s disrespected Kilmarnock a little bit. If you’ve been a season- ticket holder for 40 or 50 years and you see one of the best players you’ve been watching for years doing this, there’s a tinge of disappointment.”
Craigan also feels Steve Clarke, the Kilmarnock manager, may decide to leave Jones out of his side if fans turn on the player, who joined the Rugby
Park club in 2016 after being released by Middlesbrough.
“It’ll be interesting when Steve Clarke names his next XI,” he said. “Will he be in it? That will tell you more about how the manager feels or what he’s said to his board about it.
“It will be interesting to see how the Kilmarnock fans react to him when he’s playing. I know people say you don’t really listen to the fans and you get on with your own game, but when there’s a few noises coming from your own fans, it will certainly affect performances.
“Does he [Clarke] put him in, knowing there’s a bit of criticism coming from his own supporters, or does he leave him out, which could be detrimental to the team? That’s the hard balancing act Steve Clarke has to do.
“The first league game is against Rangers, so that may speed up the process of trying to get him moving now.”
Asked if the situation could make Jones’ position at Kilmarnock untenable, Craigan said: “Well, it would certainly look that way. Steve Clarke has to think: ‘Do we take a reduced fee now and get a chance to strengthen that position or keep the player who isn’t committed long term and is getting the wrath of the supporters?’ It may upset the team who’ve been in
such good form.”